The 2011 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees Announced

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The Independent Spirit Award nominations, coming as they do well before the Oscars and the Golden Globes, provide a pretty definitive list of which movies have the most serious shot at filling their mantles with golden adulation trinkets.

Leading the way this year are the white-knuckle thrill ride "Drive," starring Ryan Gosling, the unsettling drama "Take Shelter" with Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, and the ode to silent film "The Artist."